Graphics
384×240
- Colors on screen
- 16
- Palette
- 256 colors
- Sprites
- 8
Below: Spectrum 15 colors · Above: Atari 7800 25 colors
Atari 5200
Also known as Atari 5200 SuperSystem · Atari 5200 Advanced Video Entertainment System
- Atari, Inc.
- Home console
- Second generation
74 Atari 5200 games, all playable free in your browser.
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem is a home video game console introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1982 as a higher-end companion to the Video Computer System, which was renamed Atari 2600 at the same time. Its design closely follows the Atari 8-bit computers and uses the same ANTIC, GTIA and POKEY chips, although software is not directly compatible between the two.
- First released · North America
- 1982
- Units sold
- 1M+
- Games in the library · all playable
- 74
TIMELINE
1982–1984
- NANorth America
- ENDDiscontinued (North America)
Games per release year
| Year | Games |
|---|---|
| 1982 | 10 |
| 1983 | 40 |
| 1984 | 16 |
| 1986 | 4 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
- Atari 2600Atari 2600: Sep 1977 – 1992
- SpectrumZX Spectrum: Apr 23, 1982 – 1992
- ColecoColecoVision: Aug 1982 – 1985
- Atari 5200Atari 5200: Oct 1982 – May 21, 1984
- VectrexVectrex: Oct 1982 – Feb 1984
- NESNintendo Entertainment System: Jul 15, 1983 – Sep 25, 2003
- SG-1000Sega SG-1000: Jul 15, 1983 – Oct 1985
- MSXMSX: Oct 21, 1983 – 1993
All 36 systems
- Atari 2600Atari 2600: Sep 1977 – 1992
- SpectrumZX Spectrum: Apr 23, 1982 – 1992
- ColecoColecoVision: Aug 1982 – 1985
- Atari 5200Atari 5200: Oct 1982 – May 21, 1984
- VectrexVectrex: Oct 1982 – Feb 1984
- NESNintendo Entertainment System: Jul 15, 1983 – Sep 25, 2003
- SG-1000Sega SG-1000: Jul 15, 1983 – Oct 1985
- MSXMSX: Oct 21, 1983 – 1993
- Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC: Jun 21, 1984 – 1990
- Master SystemSega Master System: Oct 20, 1985 – 1996
- Atari 7800Atari 7800: May 1986 – 1992
- X68000Sharp X68000: Mar 28, 1987 – end not recorded
- PC EnginePC Engine / TurboGrafx-16: Oct 30, 1987 – Dec 16, 1994
- CPS-1Capcom CPS-1: May 13, 1988 – May 11, 1995
- GenesisSega Genesis / Mega Drive: Oct 29, 1988 – 1997
- PCE CDPC Engine CD / TurboGrafx-CD: Dec 4, 1988 – end not recorded
- Game BoyGame Boy: Apr 21, 1989 – Mar 31, 2003
- LynxAtari Lynx: Sep 1, 1989 – 1995
- Neo GeoNeo Geo: Apr 16, 1990 – 2004
- Game GearSega Game Gear: Oct 6, 1990 – Apr 30, 1997
- SNESSuper Nintendo: Nov 21, 1990 – Sep 25, 2003
- Sega CDSega CD / Mega-CD: Dec 12, 1991 – 1996
- CPS-2Capcom CPS-2: Sep 10, 1993 – Dec 22, 2003
- Neo Geo CDNeo Geo CD: Sep 9, 1994 – 1997
- 32XSega 32X: Nov 1994 – 1996
- PS1PlayStation: Dec 3, 1994 – Mar 23, 2006
- N64Nintendo 64: Jun 23, 1996 – 2002
- CPS-3Capcom CPS-3: Nov 21, 1996 – end not recorded
- NAOMISega NAOMI: 1998 – end not recorded
- GBCGame Boy Color: Oct 21, 1998 – Mar 31, 2003
- NGPCNeo Geo Pocket Color: Mar 19, 1999 – Oct 30, 2001
- PS2PlayStation 2: Mar 4, 2000 – Jan 4, 2013
- WonderSwanWonderSwan Color: Dec 9, 2000 – 2003
- GBAGame Boy Advance: Mar 21, 2001 – 2010
- OpenBOROpenBOR: 2004 – today
- TIC-80TIC-80: Mar 22, 2017 – today
A bar that fades out means the end date is unknown. Fantasy consoles and game engines are still available.
UNDER THE HOOD
Technical specifications
Processor
1.79MHz
- CPU
- Atari SALLY (6502C)
- Core
- MOS Technology 6502
- ANTIC — display list graphics processor
- GTIA — graphics / color
- POKEY — sound, keyboard scanning, serial I/O, timers
Below: Vectrex 1.5 MHz · Above: WonderSwan 3.07 MHz
Memory
16KB
- Main RAM
- 16 KB
- BIOS ROM
- 2 KB
Sound
4channels
- Chip
- POKEY
4-channel programmable sound generator
Sales
1million+
- Scope
- Total, more than 1 million (as of 1984-05)
Media
Cartridge
Launch price
$299.95
- North America
- $299.95
Family line
- Before
- Atari 2600
- This system
- Atari 5200
- After
- Atari 7800
THE STORY
About the Atari 5200
The console reached a handful of department stores in October 1982 at $299.95 and became available nationwide in January 1983. Its controllers combine a non-centring analog joystick with a numeric keypad and Start, Pause and Reset keys; the joystick attracted much of the criticism the system received. A cheaper two-port revision and an adapter for Atari 2600 cartridges followed in 1983, while a planned European launch was canceled.
Sales were held back by the lack of 2600 compatibility at launch, competition from the ColecoVision and the 1983 video game crash. On May 21, 1984 Atari disclosed that the 5200 had been discontinued; total sales were reported at more than one million units.
- The original model has four controller ports and an automatic TV switch box.
- Analog joystick with numeric keypad and a dedicated Pause button, unusual at the time.
- Palette of up to 256 colors; display-list interrupts allow up to 256 colors on screen.
- POKEY provides four sound channels and also handles keyboard scanning and serial I/O.
- A European release planned for 1983 was canceled in July 1983, citing poor US sales.
THE LIBRARY
74 Atari 5200 games on Back2OldGames
74
games, all playable right in your browser
Release years 1982–2003
<p class="lib-span">29 developers</p>Genres
Top developers
Players
51 games with a known number of players.
Regions
THE GAMES
The Atari 5200 library
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Sources
Specifications and history from the sources below (Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; facts summarized in our own words). Library numbers come from the Back2OldGames catalog.
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